Not A Number
by idkhowtowrite
Summary: After the gods promise to give more care to their kids, Percy and Grover find themselves looking for demigods in Chicago. They encounter a strange group of friends who keep talking about numbers and... are aliens..?.


**HI hello so this is an old chapter I found on my drive from about 2 years ago. I cleaned it up a bit and I guess I'll continue on with it using the limited knowledge I still have of these series... Enjoy**

**Percy's POV**

Okay, so when the gods promised to, you know, claim their children and be more involved in their shit, I assumed that they would be the ones to find their children, or at the very least, send them a sign to lead them to camp. Maybe a PSA in a dream. Or a message in alphabet soup. Or even an email.

But NOOOO

Of course not. You see, when a god says that they're gonna do something that doesn't involve flashy entrances and victorious battles, they really mean that they're gonna order us, measly, disposable demigods, to do the work.

Like, "Hi. Guess what? Your dad is actually Apollo, but he just didn't really couldn't come today. He wanted to, I swear! Anyway, come with me to a magical camp to unlock your true potential!"

Hahahha, I was gonna get arrested.

Not that I'm complaining of course. I totally wanted to spend my break from defeating a titan in a war and basically saving the whole world by going around cities and looking for half-bloods instead of, say, spending quality time with my family or my beautiful girlfriend who was saving demigods in some other part of the world.

Back in the present, I was wandering around the streets of Chicago when my best friend, Grover, caught up to me.

"Percy, where'd you go? I turn around for one minute to check out that "Eco-friendly Yard Sale" and poof, you're gone!" the frazzled satyr cried.

"Um, sorry dude, but recycled aluminum cans aren't... really my thing. I got bored" I mumbled apologetically,"Why are you so nervous anyway?"

"I'm worried. I caught a scent of someone, not quite monster, not quite mortal either." he said looking around.

"Me?" I teased.

"Something not Greek either" he responded solemnly. "C'mon, let's go closer"

Oh yes, of course. Because it smells weirder and more dangerous, let's go nearer and get ourselves killed!

We walked until we got to a dark, sketchy, and, frankly, very cliché alley.

"It's here" Grover trembled slightly as we inched deeper inside. He nodded his head to a hooded figure sitting in a corner. "The scent is strongest here"

"Come on, for all we know it's some homeless guy who hasn't showered in weeks" I whispered back.

"Okay if he-

I didn't get to finish my sentence because the hooded guy turned around and let me tell you, he looked weird. "Grover?" I asked. He didn't look like any monster I've ever seen. Then again, I don't study monsters, I just try to kill them.

It turned out there were about 5 guys all wearing dark cloaks. They were about 6 feet tall and had really pale skin. Not "never been in the sun" pale, but grey pale. There were black tattoos covering their heads and something that looked like gills beside their noses. Their sharp teeth bared as they growled at us.

"Not friendly?" I guessed, uncapping Riptide.

They pounced. I picked Ugly #1 and proceeded to try slashing at him while keeping the others at bay. I succeeded in some scratches on his arm and a slash across his torso when second one pulled out a freaky looking blaster and shot way too close for comfort. Now would be a great time for Grover to offer some help. One of them, probably the leader, hissed at me.

"Where is the pendant?"

"You're looking for jewelry?" I asked confused and swung at his head.

I stabbed another one across the stomach, causing him to disintegrate. Grover was now frantically playing his reed pipes and random plants in pots were bonking them in the head.

"Sorry Percy!" he yelled. "There aren't very strong plants nearby"

I was then knocked back and I stumbled several steps, colliding with a blonde couple. They seemed to recognize the situation.

"Mogs!" the guy shouted. "Sarah, stay back!"

He ran up to them and punched one in the head. He them shot lights in their faces using his…hands? I assumed he was a demigod, son of Apollo maybe?

I didn't have time to think because trashcans started flying at the monsters, knocking 2 out.

Shaking my head, I proceeded to charge and help him fight. He looked around 17 or 18 and fought well. It was surprising that he hadn't been to camp yet but that's the gods for you, excellent at this parenting thing for sure.

One of the monster hybrid things was able to blast my leg and I yelled out in pain. At the same time, the ground beneath us shook slightly making both me and some monster fall to the ground. It's completely in character of course for me to collapse because of something I caused. If Annabeth were here, she would be laughing at me while simultaneously knocking out all these guys in a second

Meanwhile, Apollo dude was still going strong with his spotlighting and intense strength. The blonde girl was shooting at the pale monsters while Grover had, I guess been hit by a garbage can because he was passed out beside one of them. When the last one disintegrated, he turned to me. "I'm 4, what number are you?"

I shook my head. "What?". I didn't have time to hear what he said next as a flower pot unceremoniously slammed into my face.

**Please please review and say if I should still continue with this or if it's not worth cos hype is down and so is my writing haha**


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